


Let's Get Flayed Together

by fienhagus77



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, F/M, Hospitalization, Illnesses, One Shot, Romance, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 03:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20717051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fienhagus77/pseuds/fienhagus77
Summary: When Mike falls victim to an unknown illness and ends up quarantined in the hospital for a few months, will his doctors find a cure? What happens when a cute girl ends up in quarantine with him, presenting the same symptoms? Will these two ever get out so they can enjoy Senior year with their friends? And what does a creepy, unhinged scientist have to do with all this?





	Let's Get Flayed Together

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone! Just wanted to do a cute, yet mysterious, hospital one shot. The idea came to me and I couldn't resist writing about it. The movie Five Feet Apart flashes in my mind, obviously completely different but just the idea of them having to be separated from each other due to an illness. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!

Mike was exhausted. 

He had been battling this  _ thing _ inside him for a couple months now. The doctors were mystified, they had no idea what it was or how he had contracted it. And, that was the funny thing about it, was it a disease? Was it a bad strain of the flu? Was it an unknown virus that could turn the world into a zombie apocalypse? The doctors in Hawkins had no idea, and Mike was kept in strict quarantine so moving him to another hospital was out of the question. A few specialists had flown in to run tests out of curiosity, but they had all left frustrated and empty handed. 

All the doctors could do now is wait. Wait until more symptoms presented themselves. Until then, Mike was stuck living in what he called his bubble of hell. It was a somewhat small room, tucked in a back corner of Hawkins Hospital. He had an actual bed, a nightstand, a TV, a small bathroom, and the hospital always brought him down three meals a day, but he was stuck. The thick plastic sheeting that stood between him and the outside world felt like a brick wall. Sure, his room had windows, but what was the point when he couldn’t feel the warmth of the sun on his skin? Smell the crisp air outside that used to whip through his hair? The last two months had been nothing but cold, sterile walls and ceilings. 

His friends and family were allowed to visit, but they had to wear biohazard suits, gloves, and goggles, so the effect wasn’t as real anymore. Not to mention summer vacation was almost up and once senior year started his friends would have less and less time to see him. Honestly, he wouldn’t blame them if they stopped coming by all together, it was depressing in here. Sighing, Mike sat on the edge of his bed and thought back to a couple months ago…

\---

_ It was the first day of summer and Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max were ready to make the most of it. Junior year had been tough, all the teachers had brushed it off as preparing them for senior year, but the party wasn’t stupid. Senior year would be a blast! Then, they would all be off to college and away from this quiet, boring town.  _

_ They decided to go to a nearby lake, it wasn’t like the beaches in California where Max was from but it would do. They threw some towels, beach balls, sunscreen, water, and tons of food into the back of Max’s car and they were off. Excitement filled the air. Mike loved the water, hence him being top swimmer on his swim team, and the wide open water of the lake made him feel free.  _

_ The group spent the day playing various games in the water and even went on a hike nearby. They joked around and ate junk food all day while the hot sun puckered Mike’s pale skin. Finally, night rolled around and they decided to hike further up to get a good look at the stars. They were much clearer out here, away from any light pollution.  _

_ On the hike back down, Mike suddenly tripped on a branch, tumbling down the hill and crashing into the now chilled water. The impact shocked him at first but his senses kicked in and he began to flutter his feet, trying to get to the surface. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his leg and he cried out in pain, bubbles escaping into the water around him. He tried to keep swimming towards the surface but his limbs suddenly wouldn’t work. Water rushed into his mouth and nose and he inwardly began to panic. Blackness began to creep into his vision and he barely registered a pair of hands grabbing onto his arms, pulling him to the shore.  _

_ “Mike! Mike Are you ok man?!” he heard as he sputtered up lake water. His leg was throbbing and bile was churning in his stomach and throat. He instantly leaned over and vomited. The gasps around him barely reached his ears as he sat there, trying to calm his breathing.  _

_ “Um, Mike?” he heard but there was still a distant roaring sound pounding in his ears. The world began to spin and he knew he was going to pass out. He tried to croak out something to his friends but his mouth wouldn’t form the words. He tried to hold onto his slipping consciousness but he knew it was no use and soon….he let the darkness take him.  _

_ He woke up what seemed like an eternity later to a loud, obnoxious beeping. As he looked around the room he realized he was in the hospital. The night flashed before his eyes and he immediately grabbed his leg. There was a thick bandage wrapped securely around it.  _

_ “He’s up!” he heard someone say from outside the door. Suddenly, all his friends rushed inside. “Mike! How do you feel?! We were so worried!” Will said anxiously looking at his leg.  _

_ “What happened? After someone rescued me?” Mike asked, confusion clouding his tired mind. _

_ “Dude, the doctors aren’t sure...you kept throwing up a black substance...and your leg, they found what looked like a nasty bite mark. Also, umm…” Dustin was saying, but he paused, pointing to Mike’s chest. Mike looked down and gasped, the veins in his chest were black, a stark contrast against his pale skin.  _

_ “Was is this?!” he yelled beginning to panic, pulling at his hospital gown and the wires that were connected to his arms and chest. Hot surges of anger flashed through his mind, red beginning to fill his vision. “Let me out of HERE!” He tried to bolt from the bed, but his friends were holding him down. “LET GO, LET GO!” and slowly, Mike’s conscious began to slip away as he felt something clawing at the back of his mind, begging to take control. He tried to fight it, but he was so tired, and finally, he surrendered… _

\---

The doctors liked to call these his “episodes,” because they were unsure of what else to call it. Brain scans had been recorded during one of them but all it showed was intensive brian activity. It didn’t help that Mike could never remember what happened during these episodes. The doctors feared it would become a constant recurrence but so far the episodes only happened once a week. 

Blood was taken daily and tests were run throughout different times of the day, but still no diagnosis could be made and therefore there was currently no cure. Mike began to fear he would be here for the rest of his life, his friends would go on living it up and he would waste away in a quarantined hospital room. Nothing interesting ever happened in his tiny room, except for when a local reporter sneaked in once and tried to ask him questions. The hospital had quickly shooed them out, covering up his illness saying it was nothing serious (public hysteria is not what they needed when they didn’t even have a diagnosis yet). 

However, things were about to change. A nurse walked in, suited up of course, and began to move some furniture to the other side of the room. She then promptly hung up some of the plastic sheeting, making the room seem even smaller. “Hey! What’s going on!” he shouted but the nurse seemed to have not heard him or didn’t care enough to answer. She quickly left and Mike was left alone again. 

About an hour later, the door to his room slammed open and his doctor walked in, followed by nurses who were carrying an unconscious girl. Mike couldn't get a good look but she looked so small and fragile. He also noticed she wasn’t in a hazmat suit which could only mean...she was like him! And he was right, they quickly stripped her down into a hospital gown (Mike courteously looked away) and then enclosed her behind the plastic sheeting. She was out cold and if it was anything like his episodes she could be asleep for awhile. The nurses and his doctor promptly left and Mike was left to stare curiously down at her. 

He noticed a bandage around her right leg and the veins on her arm were dark, sticking out against her tanned skin. He felt his body warming up, noticing just how beautiful this girl was. No, not just beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, stunning. He had never seen anyone quite like her. Her soft brown hair laid in soft curls around her head, creating a halo. Her chest was moving up in slow, rhythmic motions, and Mike had to force himself to look away from her. 

He felt bad but part of him was excited. He had felt alone for so long and now this beautiful woman would be rooming with him. Finally, someone who would be able to understand what he was going through. Yes, they were still separated by the sheeting (probably for each other’s safety) but they could talk and maybe even become friends, maybe try to think of games to play. As Mike got lost in his thoughts he didn’t notice the girl across from him start to stir. 

\---

El woke with a start, quickly clutching her right leg, remembering the excruciating pain she had been in just hours before. She had been out walking the nearby woods with her dad when she had tripped and landed into a large puddle that had been left behind by the rains the night before. She went to pull herself up when she felt a sharp pain pulse through her right leg. Hopper had immediately ran over, eyes clouded in concern as he looked at her leg. The pain was too much and she had turned over to vomit. Hopper had cursed and pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering what sounded like  _ “Not you too!”  _ to her but the ringing in El’s ears was too loud for her to hear him. Before she could fight it, blackness pulled at her vision and she had passed out. 

Now here she was, in an unknown room with plastic sheeting blocking her off from the rest of the world. She tilted her head to the left and noticed a young guy, probably around her age, staring up at the ceiling. He had the messiest, black, curly hair she had ever seen and his skin seemed so pale under the bright lights in the room. He looked tall, his legs barely fitting on his bed, and he was rather skinny but El felt butterflies begin to erupt in her stomach.  _ Pretty  _ she thought. Before the fear and confusion could seep into her brain any further she decided to clear her throat. The guy across the way sat up so fast she thought for sure he would topple over from dizziness. 

“Hi! You’re up!” he said with bright eyes and a huge grin. El suddenly felt the uneasiness melt away, something about his smile made her feel warm inside. She grinned back and shyly played with the hem of her hospital gown, “Um, where am I?” 

“Oh right,” the guy said shaking his head at himself, “You and I are in quarantine...um whatever is wrong with us they can’t figure it out. I’ve been in here for a couple months now.” El froze in shock,  _ a couple months?! _ “But don’t worry,” the guy continued, seeing the look that crossed her face, “They are working around the clock to figure it out, and with two of us now it should be any day now that they find a diagnosis and a cure.”

El curled into a ball, unsure of what to think, when she noticed her arms for the first time. She shrieked and almost rolled off the bed, “Why are my veins like this?!” A soft sob made its way to her lips and she gave in, letting the fear take over again, as tears splashed down her cheeks. 

“Hey, what’s your name? I’m Mike,” the guy asked tenderly from across the room. El whimpered out her name and Mike smiled, “I like that name, it’s pretty like you...please don’t cry it’s going to be ok, your veins will go back to normal I promise! That only ever happens after an episode.” 

“An episode?” El asks still sniffling slightly. 

Mike smacks his head, “I’m an idiot,” he mutters to himself, “Look, don’t be scared but sometimes, if you are like me, you will have what they call an episode. For me, it’s like something takes over my brain and instead of fighting it I feel like I go to sleep. But in reality, I’m not sleeping and I’m actually still saying and doing things. Usually what I say and do isn’t very nice...but it only lasts for an hour or two and maybe about once a week. And the doctors here keep us safe I promise.”

El closes her eyes, “I know what you are talking about...I felt that way on the ambulance ride over here, I was so scared but I was so tired I just gave in to the feeling.” 

“Exactly,” Mike says, “Initially I wanted to fight it, but it drained me and the doctors said it would be easier to monitor if I just give in.” El noticeably pales, “I don't think I like the sound of that, but if they say it will find us a cure I will go along with it, just promise me, no matter what, we won’t hurt each other.”

“Promise,” Mike says, and El can tell by the tone in his voice that he means it. Her fear fades away into nothingness and she allows herself to feel hope. “So Mike, what do you do all day long, day in and day out?”

“Well, not to sound like a loser but I read, watch Netflix, write D&D campaigns, and once school starts up my teachers agreed to let my friends bring me all the work I miss so I can still graduate with them,” Mike said smiling. “Where do you go to school? You must be new I, um, have never seen you around before,” and for some reason El swears he looks nervous. 

“Yes, I’m new, just moved here a couple months ago with my dad, the new chief in town,” she said casually shrugging, like it was no big deal that her dad was now chief of police.

“You’re dad is the new chief?!” Mike squeaked out, his voice cracking like he was thirteen again. 

El giggled, “Yes, why? Are your intentions with me less than honorable?” she said cocking an eyebrow and Mike nearly choked on his own saliva. 

“No! No- just you know, he’s tall and huge and could kill me if he wanted to!”

El’s giggling turned into full on laughter, “He just acts scary but he’s really a big teddy bear, I promise. Plus, we are disease buddies now, I would protect you.” The biggest smile paints her face and Mike can’t help but relax and join in her laughter. 

Before they know it, midnight rolls around and they finally decided to call it a night, besides, they are roomies now, they will have plenty of time to hang out. 

\---

A couple weeks later, Mike woke up to find El already awake, showered, and dressed in normal clothing. To make them feel more comfortable, the hospital allows them to not have to wear the ugly gowns all the time. Bad thing is, washing laundry is difficult when you are in quarantine and the hospital can’t simply through tainted clothing into everyday loads so they have to steam and sanitize it, which fades the colors and wears out the material. Mike has learned to only wear his least favorite clothing and told his mom to keep his favorites at home. 

_ Home,  _ Mike thinks, he can’t wait for that day to come around. He actually found himself sad not being able to go back to school, he never realized how normal that was until you he had it taken away. Turns out, El was going to start her senior year at Hawkins High too, she would have been a classmate of Mike’s and all his friends.  _ “The one good thing about this mess is when we finally go back to school I will know someone and won’t feel so lonely.”  _ Mke had smiled at that, she was right, the one good thing so far about this disaster was being able to meet El, who he was pretty sure he was developing a crush on. Yes, it had only been a couple of weeks but something about her just entranced him. She was beautiful, kind, strong-headed, and her eyes were like wells of honey. He only wished the many layers of plastic sheeting didn’t separate them, but he understood why the set up were necessary.

In the past couple weeks, El had only one episode, while Mike had three. Luckily, during these episodes, they were safely moved to observation rooms. Mike couldn’t bare the thought of saying or doing something that would scare El. Everytime he came back she was just as welcoming and kind as before. “Do you remember anything from this one?” she would always ask, and Mike always shook his head no. Amazingly, the one time El had an episode she was able to remember the whole thing. The doctors were ecstatic, thinking they were making strides, but so far no further progress had been made. 

“Hey Mike?” El asked as they both worked on some homework his (now their) friends had brought over. “Yes?” he looked up at her. She nervously cleared her throat, “Do you think your friends like me?”

Mike couldn't help it, he burst how laughing and El’s brow furrowed in concern. “El, they love you. Hell, Max is so excited to have another girl in the group. Trust me.”

“I’m...I’m part of the group now?” El asked rubbing her hands up and down her arm in a nervous gesture. 

“Of course you are! If you want to be, of course,” Mike said sheepishly, not wanting to assume that is what she wanted. Her bright eyes and huge smile confirmed his nervous thoughts. “I would be honored,” she whispered. 

“So, what about your dad? Does he like me?” Mike asked back challengingly. 

Chief Hopper came by the same time everyday. He would always tell El about his day and El would always talk about how Mike made the stay in hell less boring. He would always laugh at that, “Keeping her entertained over there, are you Wheeler?” Mike would always have to hide his blush, which only made Hopper laugh more, “Just keep your hands to yourself.” Mike would stumble over a “yes sir!” even though there was no way he could leave his bubble. Hopper knew that of course, but getting a rise out of the boy his daughter had a crush on was the best. 

“Hmm..,” El contemplated tauntingly, “Yes, he likes you. He may poke fun at you but he is glad I’m not alone. It helps that you're not a mouthbreather like some of the boys in this community. Plus, he uhh...” but El stopped talking and her cheeks were flaming red. 

“He what, El?” Mike asked curiously, prompting her onwards. 

“He guessed that I kind of have a crush on you,” she whispered so lightly that Mike almost pushed his ear up against the barrier between them. 

“You do??!” he all but yelled, curling his shoulders over in embarrassment at his outburst, “I mean, you do?” and El shyly nodded her head. “Well that’s great because I like you too and I was wondering, not if but when we get out of here, will you, El Hopper go on a date with me?” 

El’s head noticeably perked up and her confident smile graced her face once again, “I would love to Mike.”

“Ok great! It’s a date!” and Mike found himself smiling once again at this girl who was slowly stealing his heart. 

“Hop said a bad storm was blowing through tonight so he won’t be able to make our nightly visits. I doubt our friends will be able to make it over here either so we are on our own tonight.”

Mike nodded in agreement, sliding his hand over the material of his jeans that hugged his knee as he sat in thought. “I miss the rain, wish I could go outside and just stand in it.”

El frowned sympathetically, forgetting he had been here for quite some time, “Don’t worry Mike, we will get out of here, I promise. Then we can both run into the next storm that blows through,” and Mike noticed the mischievous glint in her eye. 

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder broke through the air and the room rumbled. Lightning lit up the sky outside and the lights in their room flickered out. 

“Dammit!” Mike swore, “Power is out, and this part of the hospital is old, they weren’t expecting to have to quarantine patients back here,” he said wryly. “It’s probably going to get really hot in here, especially with our stupid bubbles around us, I’m so sorry El.”

El rolled her eyes, “Mike, it’s not your fault the storm cut off the electricity and the generator back here is probably old and useless crap. We will be fine, I can deal with some heat.”

Only they couldn’t, an hour went by and Mike and El were miserable. Sweat began to pool on their lower back and Mike could feel the familiar claw at the back of his head. 

“Mike,” El weezed out, “Mike! Your sweat! It’s black! And your veins!”

Mike looked down, and sure enough his veins were turning black under his pale skin. He wiped his forehead and glanced at the black sweat that smudged across his arm. He looked up in alarm, “El! You too! What’s happening?!”

“I’m not sure! I can feel it though, trying to take over my mind, but it’s different this time, more panicked, I don’t like this!” and tears began to pull around her eyes. “I can’t control it!”

On the other side of the room, Mike was fiercely gripping the cool metal of his bed, trying to lower the temperature of his body but it was no use, the thing inside his mind was taking over and he was losing control, “El, don’t look! I can’t-” but he never finished his sentence. 

The door to the room bust open and two doctors rushed in, “They are both turning! No time to take them to the safe room! We have to restrain them!”

Quickly, both doctors pulled back the curtains and gently tied Mike and El to their beds. Another doctor, Dr. Owens was his name, quickly bustled into the room to join the other two doctors. “The heat! Whatever this is inside them is rejecting the heat, that’s it! We need to make it unbearably hot in here! Quickly!!”

“Dr. Owens, the generators don’t work back here, how can we make it more hot? We can’t plug anything in?” 

Dr. Owen’s rubbed his face, thinking fast, “Heat up some coals and pokers in the kitchen, we will have to do this old school and place it under their beds like heaters.”

The three doctors left the room quickly and were back in minutes, hot objects gathered in pails. They began to move frantically, stuffing the hot objects under Mike and El’s mattress. The response was instant, screams filled the room and both patients began to tug insistently on their restraints, trying to break free. 

“Dr. Owen’s look here!” He ran across the room to El and noticed as her mouth slowly began to spew what looked like black smoke. “What is this?!” but they had no time to observe, the same thing started to happen to Mike across the room. As if in slow motion, the clouds of what looked like smoke, swirled into the air and crashed out a nearby window, a high pitched squealing following in its wake. 

The doctors sat there in awe, unsure of what to say. They were snapped back into reality when Mike and El began to stir, moans leaving their pale lips. All three doctors scrambled, gently untying the restraints. 

“Mike, El, can you hear me?” Both teens weakly nodded their heads. 

“Is it...is it over?” Mike asked, his voice hoarse from screaming. 

“I think so but we will have to run some more tests to be sure. We still aren’t sure what  _ it  _ was,” Dr.Owens said, and he quickly left the room, a determined look on his face. 

The remaining doctors stayed behind and cleaned up the room, connecting IV’s and heart monitors to El and Mike. “We will be back once we know something,” and with that, El and Mike were left alone. 

Mike leaned over, trying to get out of bed, noticing the plastic barrier was now open, he could finally go and comfort El. Slowly, he walked over to her side, sliding the IV pole behind him. 

“Mike! What are you doing? It’s not safe!” El panicked, slowly lifting up from the bed but Mike pushed her back down to a lying position. “It’s ok El, it’s gone, can’t you feel it too? I feel so free.”

El shook her head yes, “Your right, besides being extremely tired, I feel amazing!” She couldn’t help it, she threw her arms around Mike and pulled him onto the bed, “Sleep next to me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.” 

Mike nodded and nudged her over, “Ok, but if your dad sees us and wants to kill me, I’m blaming you.” El’s sweet laughter filled the room and she curled up into Mike’s side. Mike nuzzled her head, sighing in relief, and soon they both drifted to sleep. 

\---

The next few days were hectic, but El and Mike got to go home in a few days time, so it was worth it to them. Tests were ran, notes were written, and vitals were taken every hour on the hour. Dr. Owens was onto something but he didn’t share the news until a few mornings later, after gathering family and friends in the room. Biohazard suits were no longer needed and the room was stripped of all plastic sheeting. Hop had mumbled about that,  _ “Kept the Wheeler kid to himself,”  _ he huffed, but deep down he was happy they were healthy. 

Mike’s mom, Karen, was in pieces, “So, what was it? Is he ok now? Can he go home? Will it come back?” but Dr. Owen’s simply raised his hand to get her to settle down. 

“Mike and El were infected by what was an unknown organism-”

“Was?” Hopper interrupted, and Dr. Owen’s continued. 

“Yes, it has been named now. We simply call it being flayed. A few years back, I was shadowing under an aspiring scientist by the name of Dr. Martin Brenner. His goal was to discover new species in the world. However, he became unhinged and started performing illegal experiments. Forcing two organisms to interact and be forced into one, hoping to weaponize elements of the earth. He was arrested, of course, and all his experiments were disposed of, or so we thought. Turns out, a couple months, Brenner escaped from prison. He released one of his experiments. Half of it in the lake Mike was in, and half of if into the forest El was walking in. It is attracted to blood. Mr. Wheeler, when you stumbled into the water you scratched up your leg. Ms. Hopper, when you tripped into the puddle, you also scratched up your leg. The organism activated, and attached itself to your bloodstream.”

The whole room was silent, taking all the new information in until Hopper piped up again, “Where’s this son of a bitch Brenner now? How do we know there isn’t more of this mind flaying stuff out there?”

“I was actually there when he created this one, I can assure you what he dumped into the atmosphere a few months ago was all he had. I have hired a team to scout the area, it is weakened significantly now and they know what markers to look for. Once the organism is obtained, it will be properly disposed of. As for Brenner, he was arrested a couple states over, he is now in maximum security, he won’t be getting out again,” Dr. Owens finished, trying to ease the tension and fear in the room. 

“So...El and I will be ok? No lingering side effects?” Mike asked hopefully. 

“None except the nasty scars on your legs,” Dr. Owen’s assured them with a smile, “You are both free to leave once we fill out the discharge paperwork.”

El and Mike whooped in excitement, throwing their arms around each other. 

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Hopper said trying to be stern, but it was hard to do while smiling.

Everyone shuffled around the room helping El and Mike pack up their belongings, “Man, I am really not going to miss this place,” Mike said as he turned to leave.

El giggled and grabbed his hand, “I won’t miss it either, I will miss seeing you everyday though.”

Mike rubbed soothing circles around her thumb, “You get me everyday in school and every weekend until Hop gets tired of me and throws me out.” 

El laughed, throwing her head back in animation, “I won’t let him.” 

Soon, they had made it outside and Mike took a minute to feel the sun kiss his skin. He breathed in deeply and sighed, “Aw, sweet air and sunshine.” 

El tugged on his arm, “Come on you nerd, you owe me a date,” and she quickly stood on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Mike rubbed the spot tenderly, feeling like he would float away any minute. He gave the hospital one last fleeting look, and then allowed El to pull him away. 

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! :)


End file.
